novelraw Chapter 270 : Chapter 270
Chapter 270 : Chapter 270
Chapter 270: Student
Ho-cheol stood at the entrance, lifting his heel to adjust his shoe.
“I think I’ll be a bit late today too, so you two figure out dinner yourselves.”
“Seriously, you’re going out from morning and eating out until evening?”
So-hee frowned and grumbled.
However, contrary to her expression and words, she carefully tidied his clothes, looking him up and down.
“Well, then should we eat dinner together? I’ll try to come home early. If I can't, I'll send a text.”
“Alright. Go and come back safely.”
Ho-cheol waved lightly and left.
Ji-an, who was lying on the sofa, narrowed her eyes and glared at the front door.
“Suspicious. Very suspicious.”
“What is?”
She got off the sofa and twirled around in one spot with her hands clasped behind her back.
“It’s strange, I tell you. Mister said he has work at the Villain hideout, but it doesn't look like it at all.”
“Really?”
So-hee felt nothing suspicious at all.
There was no reason for her to, either.
Ho-cheol had lived by honesty as a virtue so far.
If he intended to go elsewhere, he would have simply said he had other business; there was no reason to specifically say he was going to the hideout.
And most of all.
“Evidence? I think you’re just sulking because he’s been going out every day lately, aren't you?”
Ji-an was about to flare up for a moment but quickly regained her composure.
Would she really be acting this way just because Ho-cheol was going out frequently?
Of course, that reason wasn't entirely absent, but her suspicion was based on some degree of evidence.
“Wait a moment.”
She darted—and ran to her room and back.
In Ji-an's hands were two dress shirts.
The shirts, which were too large for her to wear, were clearly Ho-cheol's.
“...Why is that coming out of your room?”
Ignoring So-hee’s bewildered question, Ji-an buried her head in the chest of one dress shirt and took a deep breath.
Sniff, sniff—
After smelling it for nearly ten seconds, she suddenly lifted her head again.
“This smell. This is the smell Mister usually has when he goes to that hideout, right?”
Ji-an knew the smell well because she had stayed at that hideout for quite a long time.
The unique smell of concrete and asbestos characteristic of old, poorly maintained buildings.
That unhealthy smell was deeply embedded in the clothes.
“But this one...”
Ji-an shook the other dress shirt, the one Ho-cheol had worn two days ago, up and down.
“The smell is completely different.”
Instead of the musty odor of an old building, a slightly sweet smell permeated the air.
A scent that would only be found in a café piled high with desserts.
Of course, Ho-cheol might have stopped by such a café on his way back from work.
But for the smell to remain this distinct, it meant he must have stayed there idle for several hours.
As for Ji-an, her whole body twisted if his return time was delayed by even ten minutes, so several hours!
“Besides, the fact that there’s absolutely none of the hideout's smell means he might not have even visited at all.”
Only then did So-hee feel a little suspicion.
Ho-cheol, who would usually just vaguely describe his destination if he didn't want to talk about it, was now lying and hiding where he went.
But that was all.
“Well, so what? What are you going to do?”
Suspicious or not, was she planning to arrest and interrogate him when he returned?
If she did that, she would also need an explanation not only for Ho-cheol's missing dress shirts but also for a few other articles of his clothing, wouldn't she?
Ji-an dramatically whipped—a blue scarf from her pocket, wrapping it around her head.
She then put on dark-tinted sunglasses she had acquired from somewhere and declared resolutely.
“We need to find out exactly what he's up to! I'm worried about him!”
“That's just talk. You mean we're going to tail him.”
Ji-an flinched, looking slightly guilty, and took a step back.
It wasn't wrong.
There were other things to worry about; worrying about Ho-cheol's safety was utterly ridiculous.
“So, are you telling me not to do it?”
So-hee also put on sunglasses.
“Let’s do it right now.”
Where on earth was he and what was he doing?
If I hadn't known about it, it would have been fine, but now that I knew, I couldn't bear the thought of not knowing.
If it were the smell of blood or gunpowder, I might worry that he was secretly doing dangerous work again, but this was too suspicious.
Tracking Ho-cheol, who was using public transportation, was not difficult.
Since the bus route and schedule leading from Clington to the city were fixed, they just needed to overtake that route by car.
The place they arrived at while chasing Ho-cheol was a quiet café.
Fortunately, Ho-cheol was seated by the window, so they didn't have to go down to the street level.
However, the subsequent situation could hardly be called fortunate.
“...A wo-woman!”
Ji-an, observing him from the rooftop of the building across the street, jumped up.
Another woman was already seated at the table where Ho-cheol sat.
The two greeted each other with extreme familiarity and brought drinks from the counter.
And then.
“Shahaaaaaaaaaak!”
Ji-an made a bizarre sound again, like a cat doused with water.
Ho-cheol and the woman were not sitting across the table, but side by side.
Although they couldn't see his expression because his back was to the window, the atmosphere between them was exceedingly friendly.
Ho-cheol's spine, slightly inclined about 10 degrees toward the woman, was proof of this.
The woman also leaned slightly toward Ho-cheol, making their distance so close that their shoulders would touch if either moved just a few centimeters further.
Gritting her teeth—Grind, grind—Ji-an desperately suppressed the urge to run in immediately and separate them.
So-hee beside her was completely disgusted by the sight and stepped away from Ji-an.
Ho-cheol and the woman spent nearly two hours close together, subtly interacting, before the woman stood up first, signaling the end of their meeting.
Ho-cheol was still at the café, so Ji-an and So-hee should not have left their spot.
Ji-an shot up, her eyes flashing.
“Let's go catch her!”
I hope I don’t get in huge trouble if I get caught later.
Harboring such a worry, So-hee still chased after Ji-an, who was already running down the stairs.
She, too, was dying of curiosity about the identity of the woman who was talking so happily with Ho-cheol.
***
Ho-cheol, left alone in the café, continued his knitting.
Following the method he had just learned, his speed was definitely faster.
Seeing the scarf quickly taking shape, he let out a small gasp of admiration.
Knitting was not as easy as he had thought.
There was a clear limit to learning simply by reading an instruction manual or watching online.
Anxious that he might only end up making a few dishcloths, he finally sought out an industry professional for private tutoring.
And it was quite effective.
It had taken him half a day to make this much material yesterday, but today, it had taken shape in just over an hour.
Indeed, learning from a proper expert was incomparable to simply looking at an instruction manual.
At this speed, it seemed he could finish everything in time for Christmas.
How much longer did he concentrate on knitting?
The cell phone on the table buzzed—Wung—and rang.
Seeing the name on the screen, Ho-cheol's eyes widened in surprise.
He pressed the call button.
A faint sense of warmth was in his voice.
“Wow. It's been a while, hasn't it?”
It was the Dean of Clington.
There had been no reason to contact him after he was severely injured during Smiley, or rather, Jeong Yu-hwa's, attack on the Academy.
He had recovered enough to resume his daily life afterward, but at that time, Ho-cheol was causing trouble again with his Villainous activities, making contact difficult due to their positions.
Of course, although there was no phone call or contact, they were both well aware of each other's status.
The Dean's granddaughter, Hwayeon, was currently helping Ho-cheol and belonged to his organization, so they could convey their regards and updates through her.
“You must still be very busy. What made you call?”
Normalizing the half-destroyed Clington must keep him busy.
Unlike Ho-cheol, who expressed his warmth with a playful remark, the Dean’s voice coming through the phone was filled with deep embarrassment.
[Well. How should I put this. It’s quite awkward.]
“What is it this time?”
Only then did Ho-cheol realize something serious was happening, and he stopped his knitting hands.
The Dean, taking a moment to steady his breathing, delivered the news in a somber tone.
[One of the students injured a civilian during an external activity.]
Ho-cheol, who had been tense, instantly let out a long sigh and relaxed.
I thought it was something else.
This old man is always bothering people over nothing.
He vaguely waved his hand.
“It's not uncommon for civilians to get caught up in Hero activities. I'm worried about his mental state, but you should encourage him to pull himself together...”
[No. It wasn’t simply an accident where a civilian was caught up.]
Ho-cheol had to doubt his ears.
It was an unbelievable sound.
No, a sound he didn't want to believe.
[The student deliberately attacked a civilian after the situation was over.]
Ho-cheol’s expression hardened again at the serious issue of a different nature.
“...Who?”
[The student’s name is Min Seong-woo, I heard.]
Min Seong-woo.
Ho-cheol chewed on that name for a long time.
It wasn't that he didn't remember.
No, he still vividly remembered all 43 students.
That's why he couldn't believe it even more.
Among the 43 students Ho-cheol was in charge of, his image was quite blurry.
His grades were average, and he wasn't the type to be quiet and enjoy being unnoticed.
However, regardless of that, he knew better than anyone that this was not the kind of thing the guy would do.
He was a student who would have easily passed his strict moral standards.
He was gentle to a fault and aspired to be a Hero simply because he liked helping others.
If such a person suddenly harmed a civilian, it was one of two possibilities: he was framed, or he was under a level of stress that even such a gentle person found unbearable.
Ho-cheol bent his index finger and rubbed his brow.
“Did one of the civilians throw a rotten egg?”
[Something similar happened.]
The Dean immediately agreed.
It was something that often happened when continuing Hero activities.
Not only did they want you to retrieve the belongings after saving them from the water, but they would even demand responsibility if you failed to retrieve the belongings.
[The student momentarily lost his composure due to the citizens’ criticism and eventually...]
“No, it wasn't momentary.”
He probably endured it for several months.
And that slowly built-up emotion must have finally crossed the critical point.
Ho-cheol sighed.
“From his perspective, he endured it for half a year.”
It was only because the people around him were exceptionally moral and good people that it wasn't highlighted, but the current citizens did not even meet half of that standard.
Most ordinary citizens were not only stingy with goodwill towards others but often spread malice.
Even general Heroes sometimes quit their jobs because of this reality, and it wasn't easy for a student out for a job experience to endure it.
Ho-cheol only felt pity.
This was why he emphasized practical application in the first semester, yet tried not to send students outside to experience the real reality.
The outside world wasn't just a place to gain real experience; it was also an opportunity to build up hatred towards humans and skepticism towards Heroes.
If Clington hadn't been in a situation where lectures were completely impossible, Ho-cheol would have absolutely opposed this six-month external activity.
This is the worst.
“So where is Seong-woo now?”
Ho-cheol quickly packed his belongings.
Although his professor status wouldn't work properly right now, he was still the student he was in charge of.
He intended to go find him immediately.
[He fled the scene, I heard.]
Ho-cheol let out another long sigh.
“I can’t believe they couldn’t even catch him. Where was the Hero in charge?”
[He was reportedly suppressing a Villain at a different location at that time.]
“Is he crazy?”
Ho-cheol finally couldn't hold back and spat out a curse.
Didn't that mean this wouldn't have happened if the Hero in charge had provided some mental care?
The civilians must have also underestimated Seong-woo since they didn't see a real Hero around.
“...He's been designated a Villain, hasn't he?”
[He used his Trait, civilian damage occurred, and he fled.]
“There’s no way he hasn't been.”
He pondered for a moment and then wiped his face.
Once designated as a Villain by the Association, the status of student he held just a few hours ago was meaningless.
The persistent pursuit of the Association and the Heroes would follow.
And their process of arresting a Villain was relentlessly harsh.
The possibility of the student being captured gently and unharmed was, frankly speaking, close to zero.
“...I, I guess I'll have to take care of it.”
Originally, it would be problematic for Ho-cheol, whose name had been erased from the professor roster, to step in.
However, the Dean said nothing.
He also secretly knew that Ho-cheol resolving the matter would be much safer than the Association handling the student roughly.
He had even been expecting this situation and response.
Ho-cheol pulled out his second cell phone.
Finding the number in his Villain contacts, he pressed the call button.
[Yes. I received it.]
“I’m sending a picture right now. Find him.”
[Understood.]
He found Seong-woo's photo in the student roster and sent it via text.
He was just a scared student who caused trouble and hid.
Since he wouldn't know the routes or methods real Villains use to hide, he would inevitably be tracked down quickly.
And most importantly...
“This is really important work. Also, ask for cooperation from the Sage.”
At least in this country, there was no entity who could escape his sight.
If he had been monitoring Ho-cheol's movements recently, he would remember the students' faces to some extent.
[Understood.]
The call ended like that.
In less than a few dozen minutes, the cell phone rang again.
[I found him.]
Whew—
Ho-cheol let out a sigh of relief.
[What should I do?]
Bring him in right now.
He was about to say that, but he quickly changed his mind.
“Just monitor him. Send the location via text.”
He crumpled the scarf into his bag and stood up.
“I'm going right now.”